The Skywalkers: Attachment
by Adventure-Seeking-Juliet
Summary: AU. This is the first in a new Star Wars series, set 15 years post ROTS. Anakin didn't turn, and the Republic is in a state of temporary peace. Despite Palpatine's defeat, dark forces still continue to threaten the recovering Republic, and, like always, the Skywalkers find themselves caught up in the drama.


**The Skywalkers: Attachment**

Written by: Adventure-Seeking-Juliet

Disclaimer: I do not own _Star Wars._

A/N This is the first in a new _Star Wars_ AU series, set post ROTS. In this AU, Anakin didn't turn, and the Republic is in a state of _temporary_ peace. This story is the first in a trilogy that follows the four Skywalkers and their friends on a series of misadventures. Despite Palpatine's defeat, dark forces still continue to threaten the recovering Republic, and, like always, the Skywalkers find themselves caught up in the drama. This trilogy is dedicated to my sister, Ashley, who has been begging me to write more _Star Wars_ fanfiction for months.

Summary: Set 15 years post ROTS. Since returning from a long mission in the Felucia system, Obi-Wan has been distant and secretive. Concerned for his former master, Anakin attempts to investigate. However, Anakin's son, Luke, seems more interested in investigating the Jedi Temple's mysterious newcomer. Meanwhile, Leia's prompt decision to run for Queen of Naboo is met with opposition from her parents.

* * *

_Chapter One_

Senator Padme Amidala Skywalker idly sipped her coffee as she looked over a series of troubling reports. Although she didn't have to begin working for another hour, she'd been unable to stop herself from studying the files. They documented a recent struggle between the indigenous population of Saarn and a Palpatine sympathizer who had apparently been blocking the Senate's attempts to send medical and nutritional aide to the struggling native population.

Padme sighed. Saarn, like many other systems, was still suffering fallout from the Clone Wars. Over a decade had passed since the war had ended, but many settlements in the Outer Rim were slow to accept the new peace.

"Working overtime again?"

Padme glanced up from her files long enough to catch Anakin's knowing smirk as he entered the kitchen. Her husband was already dressed in his Jedi robes, and like most mornings, was impatiently waiting on Luke to wake up.

Padme hastily closed the files, "I don't know what you're talking about."

Anakin raised one brow, looking skeptical," Sure." He sat down opposite his wife, and, with a wave of his hand, a plate of Nooban fruits floated over to the table. The two sat in silence for a few moments, enjoying the peace and quiet.

"It's been really quiet this morning," Padme finally admitted, "Luke and Leia haven't made a sound. it's kind of..."

"Suspicious," Anakin supplied, frowning, "The twins are _never_ quiet...unless they're up to something."

Padme laughed at her husband's panicked expression, "You worry too much, Ani. You're starting to sound like Threepio." The last time the twins had been eerily silent, Artoo had convinced the droid in question that the twins were planning on destroying him and using the spare parts to build a new protocol droid.

"I resent that," Anakin replied, looking hurt," I'm not worried...I just-" He was cut off by an ominous bang from the direction of Luke's room.

Padme and Anakin shared a look, and Anakin, who had already jumped up to investigate, sighed, "I have a _bad_ feeling about this."

Padme only smiled and shook her head, "I'm sure you can handle your own children, _Master Jedi_." She stole a piece of fruit from his plate, then stood up and began to get her files in order, "I think I may go in early this morning, I'm planning on speaking to Chancellor Organa about heading a diplomatic mission to the Saarn system."

Anakin looked back at her in surprise, "The Saarn system? What's going on? If it's serious, I could bring it up to the council-"

"No, that's alright," Padme cut in, "It's only a Palpatine sympathizer stirring up trouble for the native people. Saarn is in the Outer Rim, but it's very close to Naboo, and I think, with some diplomatic intervention, and back up from other neighboring star systems, the Senate can ensure the necessary supplies reach the civilian population."

Anakin nodded, but he didn't seem entirely convinced, "Whatever you say, angel."

Padme pointedly ignored the skepticism in her husband's tone, "If Bail approves the mission, I'm sure I'll be fine," She explained, "and if not, I can always-" She was cut off by the sound of angry footsteps on the staircase.

Leia appeared first, dressed in a simple purple dress that was layered with a light, lacy fabric designed in the shape of Nooban Mountain Lilies. Her garb was simple, but it somehow made the fifteen-year-old Jedi padawan appear years older.

Anakin blinked in surprise, "Why aren't you wearing your robes? Master Secura will be expecting you."

Leia sighed, "As I just explained to Luke, Master Secura is off on a mission. The Council dispatched her yesterday...and I wanted to accompany mom to work today." Although her words were calm, Anakin could sense something was amiss.

"You seem tense," he said, studying his daughter, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing," Leia replied, hastily pouring herself a glass of juice, "I'm just worried for Master Secura. It's been a long time since she's gone on a mission without me."

Something about Leia's explanation didn't quite sit right with Anakin, but he decided not to press the issue. Knowing his daughter, she'd confide in him when she was ready...and not a moment before. She was as stubborn as her mother, when she wanted to be.

Leia took a sip of her juice, then turned to Padme, "Do you mind if I go with you today, mom?"

Padme smiled at her daughter, "Of course not, Leia. You know I love it when you attend the Senate with me. You have a knack for politics, you know. If you weren't already training to be a Jedi, you'd make a wonderful politician."

Leia beamed, "Thanks, mom."

Unlike Padme, Anakin wasn't sold on the idea of Leia going to the Senate, "Are you sure you don't want to go to the Temple with me and your brother?"

Luke, who had just appeared at the foot of the stairs looking bleary eyed and sleepy, snorted at the panic in his father's voice, "Dad, it's one visit to the Senate. It's not like Leia's planning to run away and become a politician, " Luke paused for a second, looking contemplative. He narrowed his eyes at Leia, "You _aren't_ planning on that, are you?"

Leia rolled her eyes, "Of course not. Don't be ridiculous. I just thought mom would enjoy my company."

However, Anakin wasn't so easily convinced. Leia had always been interested in her mother's work. What if she _did_ decide running off to become a politician was a good idea? He could see it now. Leia, dressed in Naboo's traditional royal garb, facing a mob of faceless tyrants without so much as a lightsaber in hand. Then the image morphed into one of Leia, still garbed in the excessive style of Nabooan royalty, being manipulated and tortured by corrupt politicians...

"Just remember to be careful," Anakin warned, shaking his head in an attempt to shake away the nightmarish images, "The Senate's worse than Mos Eisley spaceport...it's a-"

"Wretched hive of scum and villainy?" Luke finished, purposely mimicking his father's overly-serious "Jedi tone."

Anakin glared at his son, "Something like that..."

Luke only grinned in response. He kissed his mom good morning, then plopped down on the kitchen stool his father had vacated earlier.

While Luke proceeded to stuff his face with as much fruit as possible, Padme quickly gathered all of her files, and, after kissing her husband goodbye, she and Leia started toward the door, with a particularly chatty Threepio following close behind.

Anakin stared after them, trying to ignore the bad feeling that had settled in his chest. The Force was trying to tell him something, that much was obvious. Had Leia lied about what was making her tense? Or was something else going on?

Padme had already exited the apartment, but Leia had lingered behind to help Threepio out the door. Anakin studied his daughter's face, searching for the answer to his questions, but when he probed Leia's emotions, all he sensed was determination...and melancholy. It seemed Leia had taken his lack of approval a little too personally.

Anakin sighed. Despite his opposition to the idea of Leia pursuing a political career, he didn't want her to feel dejected.

"Leia-"

She turned around, expectantly.

"You look beautiful."

Leia smiled, "Thanks, Dad."

* * *

As soon as Leia and Threepio were gone, Anakin turned to Luke.

"Do you know what's going on with Leia?"

Anakin sat down across from his son and crossed his arms, awaiting an answer. Despite their differences, the twins almost always confided in each other. If something really _was_ amiss, it was possible Leia had confided in Luke.

Luke, who was still trying to chew a mouthful of fruit, merely shrugged, "Dunno."

Anakin stared at his son, unrelenting. Although Leia had inherited Padme's infuriating ability to misdirect conversations (which, according to Obi-Wan's infinite wisdom, was the true mark of a talented politician), Luke had inherited his father's tendency for directness...and, if either of his children were going to break under scrutiny, it would be Luke.

Anakin grabbed the last piece of fruit before Luke could devour it, then calmly waited for his son to notice his staring. Finally, after he had swallowed the last of his food, Luke met his father's gaze straight on. His son's expression was surprisingly serious, and Anakin was suddenly struck by how similar Luke's features were to his own. Although his son was still a head shorter than him, Anakin couldn't deny that Luke's resemblance to him seemed to grow even more pronounced as the boy matured.

"I have no idea what Leia's planning," he said simply, "but I can tell she's preoccupied with something."

"I sensed as much," Anakin admitted, "I'm just worried about her. Leia isn't usually so secretive...and all of her recent talk about politics worries me."

"You're _seriously_ worried Leia's going to leave the Order to pursue a political career?" Luke asked, blue eyes wide with disbelief, "That's _impossible_. She'd never do that."

Anakin shook his head. He wanted to agree with Luke. Why would Leia suddenly decide to leave the order? She'd never expressed any unhappiness with her training...and, although she'd wanted to be trained alongside her brother, she'd accepted the Jedi Council's decision to separate the two of them. When the twins were younger, Anakin had, against the Council's opinion, decided to take one of his own children on as his new padawan.

The Jedi Council hadn't been happy with his decision, but, as a reward for his quick action against Palpatine, they'd allowed him to train Luke. Of course, Anakin had originally asked to train both of his children, but, despite his accomplishments and abilities, the Order had thought it would be imprudent to allow him an exception to _another_ rule...especially after they had allowed him to remain in the Jedi Order after discovering the nature of his relationship with Padme. Master Secura and Leia had always been close, so when Aayla asked to take Leia as her padawan, the Council had readily agreed.

In his opinion, the rules were outdated...but the other Masters were reluctant to agree with him. When he finally told the Council the truth about his marriage and impending fatherhood, he'd expected to be expelled from the Order, but, to his surprise, Master Yoda had spoken on his behalf. He'd been allowed to remain with the Order...and to remain with his family, provided that the twins were trained in the Jedi arts.

But what would happen if Leia decided she no loner wanted to be trained?

Anakin's train of thought was interrupted by Luke, "Besides, she loves her master. If Leia left the Order, Master Secura would be devastated. She would never decide to leave her."

"Sometimes a padawan's attachment to their master is not enough to make them stay," Anakin replied in a quiet voice. Like usual, his thoughts were clouded when he thought of his first padawan, Ahsoka. Snips had chosen to leave the Order, and, despite their bond, he had not been able to convince her to stay.

Luke tried to lift his father's spirits by offering him a small smile, "Don't worry, Dad. I'm here to stay," Luke's smile slowly morphed into an oddly familiar smirk, "Even if I wanted to leave you, things would get kind of awkward when I had to come home for dinner, don't ya think?"

Anakin matched his son's smirk and rolled his eyes, " _Undoubtedly_."

* * *

The two were halfway to the hangar when Luke awkwardly cleared his throat.

"Um...do you think I could return to the apartment for a moment? I forgot something."

Anakin sighed in exasperation, "What did you forget? We really don't have time, Luke. We were supposed to get there," Anakin glanced at his wrist chrono, "_five minutes ago." _

Luke was already running toward the apartment," Don't worry! I'll be back before you know it!"

_"Luke, I'm serious. We don't have time-_" But his son had already vanished.

Anakin walked on, intending to ready the speeder while he waited for Luke. If past experience was anything to go by, Luke had probably misplaced his lightsaber and was now searching frantically for the weapon and begging Artoo for help.

Once Anakin reached the hangar, he selected the faster of the two remaining speeders. It was his favorite. He'd spent years modifying it. It was a sleek, blue model, designed for speed, and he'd customized it for maximum engine efficiency. No one else was allowed to even _breathe_ near it, not that that stopped Luke from drooling over it on a daily basis. In fact, Anakin was pretty sure he'd almost caught his son in the act of "borrowing" it one day, but Luke swore he'd just been checking the inertial compensator for damage.

Anakin started the engine, but after ten minutes of waiting, was forced to turn it off again.

As another five minutes slid by, Anakin was starting to contemplate the idea of leaving Luke behind. The younger Skywalker was a talented pilot himself, and Luke knew where to find the spare key to the other speeder.

Luckily, before Anakin could give up all hope, Luke came rushing into the hangar with Artoo trailing dutifully behind. His son was out-of-breath and sweaty, but, otherwise seemed to be in a good mood, so Anakin could only guess that he'd found whatever it was he'd left behind.

"What happened to _'I'll be back before you know it'_?" Anakin asked, "I think I may have died and returned as a Force ghost during the wait."

"Very funny," Luke replied as he hopped into the passenger seat of Anakin's speeder, "Aren't you the one always telling me to be patient?"

Anakin waited until he'd accelerated into the skylane before explaining, "It's not my impatience I'm worried about. The Jedi Council requested our presence at a special meeting this morning. You know how Master Windu feels about tardiness."

Luke groaned, "Don't remind me."

Anakin smiled to himself. He understood his son's feelings on the matter all too well. Master Windu didn't seem particularly fond of Skywalkers. Although, to everyone's surprise, Windu _had_ taken a liking to Leia. He'd even agreed to teach her Form VII lightsaber combat...which was an honor Master Windu had only granted to a few others. Not surprisingly, neither Luke nor Anakin had been extended the same offer.

As the towers of the Jedi temple came into sight, Luke spoke again, "Do you think the meeting's about Master Obi-Wan's mission on Felucia? He was supposed to return today. What if something serious happened?"

"I'm sure Obi-Wan completed his mission successfully," Anakin said calmly, trying to reassure himself as well as his son, "He always does. Don't worry, young one."

* * *

When Luke and Anakin entered the Jedi Council's meeting chamber, they were surprised to find the meeting still in session, despite their lateness. All of the masters, excluding Obi-Wan and Shaak Ti, were sitting in their respective seats, looking grim and serious.

Luke stared around the room, trying to appear calm, despite the cold tendril of fear that was creeping up his spine. What if something had happened to Master Obi-Wan? Luke anxiously glanced up at his father. Anakin's expression was calm and serious, but Luke could sense that his father shared his anxieties.

As if sensing his gaze, Anakin placed a comforting hand on Luke's shoulder and offered him a reassuring smile.

"Ah, Master Skywalker, I'm glad you finally decided to join us," Master Windu said, gesturing for Anakin to take his seat.

"I'm sorry about our lateness, Masters," Anakin apologized, "Luke and I ran into some...difficulties this morning." Luke smirked at his father's explanation, and Anakin struggled not to do the same.

When no one else replied, Master Mundi inclined his domed head in their direction and explained, "It is of no consequence, Master Kenobi has yet to arrive."

Luke sensed his father's worry increase. Obi-Wan was almost never late.

"Has something happened?" the elder Skywalker asked.

"Worry not, Master Skywalker," Yoda responded, "Sense that Master Obi-Wan is on his way, I do." Anakin nodded reluctantly and moved to take his seat, but Luke couldn't help but notice the way his father's gaze lingered on Obi-Wan's empty chair.

Luckily, just as Anakin was taking his seat, the doors to the Council chamber opened, revealing a tired, but healthy, Obi-Wan.

Obi-Wan's robe was torn in a few places, and Luke thought he noticed a few more gray patches in the older Jedi's beard than had been there before, but somehow Obi-Wan still managed to nod calmly at the other masters as he stepped in the room.

"Welcome back, Master Kenobi," Windu started, "I trust your mission to Felucia successful?"

Obi-Wan shook his head, and, when he spoke, his voice was hoarse, "I'm afraid not, Master. I trekked along the edges of both the southern and northern jungles...then enlisted the help of the native population, but there was no trace of Master Ti."

Master Windu frowned and glanced between Obi-Wan and Master Yoda, "Were you able to gain any new information about her disappearance?"

Obi-Wan hesitated, "When I arrived on Felucia, I was met by Master Ti's padawan. She claims to have seen...something."

"Brought her with you, you have."

Although Master Yoda's comment wasn't a question, Obi-Wan answered him anyway, "Yes, master." He turned toward the doorway and gestured for someone to enter, "This is Ayslyn Kryze, Master Ti's apprentice."

A young, human girl entered the room. Although her somber expression made her appear older, the girl was likely only a few years older than Luke. Like Obi-Wan, her robes were torn and tattered and she appeared to be exhausted.

She came to stand next to Obi-Wan and bowed to the circle of Masters in greeting. She held herself with a level of grace and poise that surprised Luke. How could someone his age be so mature?

Ayslyn silently stared around the room for a moment, but her eyes lingered on Luke and Anakin the longest. Luke was caught off guard by the intensity of her gaze. Her eyes were a clear, light gray color, similar to Obi-Wan's, although Luke had never been quite so affected by _Obi-Wan's_ eyes before. When she continued to gaze in their direction, Luke tried to smile at her, but Ayslyn quickly looked away.

"Masters, I'm afraid I have troubling news. My master and I were attacked by another Jedi," the girl paused to tuck her padawan braid behind her ear, "He was human, with dark hair and eyes, but I had never seen him before. He used the Force...but it was unlike anything I've ever sensed. He seemed cold...and angry."

"You believe you were attacked by a dark-side user?" Master Luminara asked, leaning forward to study the padawan, "That's impossible. When we last investigated Felucia, the local population of Force-sensitive natives assured us the ecosystem was dedicated to the light. A dark side user would be unable to prosper in such a charged environment. The jungles of Felucia are filled with Force-sensitive flora and fauna that tend toward the light side of the Force."

"That may be the case, Master," Ayslyn conceded, "but, whoever this person was, I am sure he had knowledge of the dark side. My master and I were caught be surprise, and...we couldn't-" Ayslyn seemed to struggle with her words for a moment, "We lost."

"What happened to Master Ti? Was she taken hostage? If you can identify this dark side user, it is possible we can find her." Master Mundi explained, his voice remarkably calm, all things considered. The atmosphere in the Council chamber was growing more tense by the second.

"No," Ayslyn said, quietly, "Master Ti is dead."

The Jedi Council was surprised by Ayslyn's words, and, for one, long, mournful moment, no one spoke.

_"More to this, there is. Find out the truth, we must." _

* * *

_A/N _Sorry for any mistakes...I was trying to finish this chapter as quickly as possible. Any questions you have about the status of the Jedi Order, new characters, old characters, or the Republic's new leadership, will be answered in the coming chapters. Also, I'd like to note that this story should be compliant with Episodes One, Two, and Three, and the Clone Wars television show. If any of my facts in this regard are wrong, please let me know (politely.) I hope you enjoyed this chapter, and I'd love to hear everyone's thoughts on the story!


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